


Figurehead to Admire

by ccakey



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, gabriel hasnt been dealt a great hand in the US of A, idk warning for uh?? racism?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-22 23:44:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7458273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ccakey/pseuds/ccakey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short story/headcanon on Gabriel's life leading up to the rift between him and Jack, featuring deep, underlying systemic issues and a clock in the jaw.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Figurehead to Admire

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of this is taken from my own life experience and experiences that my family has gone through, please enjoy.

Gabriel Reyes grew up in poverty in East LA, both of his parents were immigrants from Mexico who owned un tiendita, a corner store to be exact. They had worked so hard to get what they have, however, their son Gabriel was a constant worry over their minds, he was a target for fights, and his attitude didn’t help. 

It was his Junior year of high school when the effects of gentrification hit his neighborhood, and it hit **hard**. Property values soared, his parents could no longer afford to keep the shop open, and they couldn’t afford to live in the apartment above the shop either, so they moved, not too far, but Gabriel was placed in another high school. 

Their new house was a studio apartment, modest in decor. It was the year 2026, technology wasn’t hard to afford, so Gabriel found himself watching television more, as a form of escape from his lonely adolescence. Military advertisements plagued each and every channel, and recruiters became constant visits to Gabriel’s new school. Reyes never made many close attachments to his fellow classmates, or to any of his new neighbors, the prospect of jointing the military right after high school became more and more appealing. His parents worked so hard to get where they were, Gabriel was the first member of his family to get a higher education after high school, of course, he had to enlist in the US military to get a degree, it was the only way he could.

It was four years in the military, then his degree, and another four years, being posted in different parts of the globe he couldn’t have imagined visiting as a child. He made friends for the first time since he moved high schools, he felt familial bonds with his comrades, and he was able to make enough money for his parents to open up an _actual mercado_. 

Private, Private First Class, Corporal, Sergeant, Sergeant First class, and First Sergeant. Gabriel had worked his way up to a highly respectable position, he was the pride of his family, and the pride of his community. In accepting awards, he thanked his parents, he thanked La Virgen, and he thanked his closest friend, Jack, a Sergeant First Class, just a rank below him. Both had joined the military to support their parents, and both had made it far in their ranks.

Then came the Omnic crisis, Gabriel and Jack had been offered to take part in the creation of Overwatch, and both accepted. Morrison was no longer a rank under Reyes, they were equal in their small, elite taskforce, and many believed they were inseparable. That proved to be false.

Overwatch needed a face to represent their organization, a face seen as appealing to many around the globe. There were a few options, but to those making the decision, there was only one.

Jack Morrison, Strike Commander of Overwatch. Gabriel questioned the panel that had overlooked him, and was told a hard truth to swallow. 

“Morrison is….he represents patriotism- he, he is…”

“He’s an easier figurehead to admire, Reyes.”

Confusion became denial, denial became anger. _How? How could Jack be okay with this?_ How does Jack represent a global agency better than Gabriel? What were the turn offs? His dark skin, his darker scars? The way he dressed, his accent? No, no, it can’t be, Overwatch, is run by the UN, the _U-FUCKING-N!_

What hurt Gabriel the most wasn’t Jack getting the promotion, it was the fact that he, a man who has worked as hard, if not harder than Morrison, hadn’t even been considered, he hadn’t crossed anyone’s mind. He was set as the leader of Overwatch’s Blackwatch unit, a secretive taskforce, stealthily hidden from plain sight so that his brown face never had to be viewed by a camera, and his Chicano accent never had to be heard by a mic. 

Jack didn’t understand why Gabriel was so offended, and when a meeting held for the two of them to communicate their concerns over the rift became little more than a yelling fight, Jack had crossed the line.

“STOP MAKING THIS ABOUT RACE, REYES! WHY DO YOU FEEL ENTITLED TO EVERYTHING I’VE EARNED?”

Gabriel went silent for a moment, clenched his fist, and clocked Jack right on the jaw. Jack didn’t respond, Gabriel was led out of the room, he could only make out a small whisper from the office, the office consisting entirely of White officers.

“See, this is why we can’t have people like him representing us.”

Gabriel was ready to revolt.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in the past 3 years, so any writing tips are welcomed.


End file.
